Business class passengers drink three times more than expected

Paying extra for the creature comforts of business class isn't something everyone can afford to do, but the last thing anyone would expect after splashing out more money would be to find there was an in-flight wine shortage.

However, it now seems that thirsty fliers are drinking premium wines at three times the anticipated rate and this means a shortage of the most popular lines, according to a leaked memo from United Airlines

New wine offerings

“You may have noticed that our United Polaris customers are really enjoying the new wine offerings,” states the leaked memo, published on news site Skift.

“[As a] result we have been utilising more wine on board – which is actually at a rate of about 300 per cent more than forecast.”

In fact, business class passengers have been enjoying United Airlines’ new wine programme so much that it seems it may now actually be proving too popular for its own good, as the carrier is expecting some difficulty restocking.

Large quantities

“When we plan and buy our wines for the year, we purchase in large quantities, often even buying out the entire stock of a single vintage,” the memo explained.

This approach, whilst cost effective for the airline, means that when a shortage due to over-consumption occurs, it is difficult or even impossible to spot-buy more bottles of the in-demand wines.

United, which is thought to be working with its sommeliers to find additional wines, isn’t the first carrier to encounter shortages. British Airways recently hit the headlines when a flight to Barbados ran out of toilet roll. A desperate search for supplies meant that Flight 2153 eventually took off from Gatwick five-and-a-half hours later than scheduled.

A spokesperson for the airline commented: “We are sorry customers were delayed after some of the many items needed for the flight weren't loaded onto the aircraft. We got them away on their holidays as soon as we could.”